The Apprentices

In chapter 13 a new band of heros are introduced into the story. In this chapter the apprentices enter center stage and truly give an astounding performance. At first they are shown just being regular teenage boys wanting to have fun and entertain themselves. As the chapter progresses however, the boys seem to be swept with an overwhelming autonomy that drives them to take the initiative and help their village. The boys set out on hunting escapades and are mostly successful in their endeavors. The townspeople are joyous about the incoming food, regardless of what it is, and the boys feel like their importance in the community is validated. But it is not the meager food supply being drawn in that is truly propelling the strike forward. It is the destructive behaviors of the apprentices that really has the French on their toes. What I found interesting about this chapter was that despite all of the efforts of their adult counterparts, the apprentices were the ones who really showed that they were merciless and not a force to be reckoned with. I also was humored by the fact that the boys probably had very little intention of inflicting terror with their homemade arsenal, and in reality were probably just trying to kill time and have fun. The impact of their actions however were that the French were incredibly alarmed by their vandalism and struck with fear that the targets would soon become their posh flower boxes or small children. I appreciated the symbolism of glass that the author used in this chapter. From my own perspective I saw the glass as a symbol of fragility as well as european customs and modernized manufacturing. I found that it was very effective that the apprentices used homemade slingshots to destroy machine manufactured items like cars and lamp posts. The juxtaposition of the two worlds really came to light in the scenes where the boys go into town. I also think that having this event come at this point in the story was advantageous because it symbolizes the start of the French starting to crack. Also the authors description of the glass being shiny and broken also seems to me like this is serving as a parallel to the strikers view of the French.